1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fishing equipment, and more particularly, is directed to a spool holder suitable for use with large fishing lures and with extremely sturdy fishing line such as three hundred pound test monofiliment and to a spool particularly designed to accommodate a sufficient length of the heavy monofiliment line.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
When fishing for large game fish, it is necessary to employ extremely sturdy equipment in order to prevent unwanted breakage. In the event of a strike by a large fish, and the fish escaped due to equipment failure, the entire purpose of the fishing outing would then be frustrated. When seeking such large fish, it is the common practice to employ large lures to simulate the travel of a smaller fish through the water to thereby appear as an appetizing meal to the larger fish. Because of the need to provide for large game fish, sturdy equipment, it is the common practice to manufacture lures as large as 21/4 inches or 21/2 in diameter to conceal one or more large hooks therewithin. The lure and the hook or hooks concealed within the lure are affixed to strong, monofiliment line suitable for the purpose, such as up to three hundred pound test monofiliment line. Such sturdy monofiliment line can be from 1/16 inch in diameter to as large as 1/8 inch in diameter and thereby requires a considerable winding area when wound upon a line storage spool. As the diameter of the line increased, the presently available spools have proven to be inadequate in size in that the prior art spools were unable to store a sufficient length of fishing line for the purpose, for example a minimum of fifty feet.
In view of the number of large game fish species that may be present at any given time and in view of the varying appetites and desires of game fish from time to time, the prior workers in the art have found it appropriate to provide a plurality of different lures in order to properly equip a game fishing boat. It is now the common practice to equip each lure with its own individual line in order to allow each lure to be readily used whenever desired without requiring additional preparation time. It has therefore been necessary to develop suitable equipment and systems to maintain the individual lures and the lines attached thereto in an orderly fashion to prevent tangling and to make each of the lures readily available for individual use whenever necessary or desired.
To accommodate a plurality of large lures with the desired length of heavy test line attached thereto, prior workers in the art have developed specially designed spool holding fixtures wherein a plurality of line storing spools can be maintained upon a single shaft in side by side relationship. The shaft may be either provided with a crank for manual operation or with an extended shaft for motor operation whereby the line and the lure attached to the line can be readily retrieved by turning the shaft. Once such a device that is currently available is manufactured by Darby Metal Products Co., Essington, Pa., and sold under the trademark "Reel-a-Rig".
It has been found that due to the increasing size of the lures and the lines now popularly employed, the previously designed "Reel-a-Rig" spool holding fixture was unsuitable for use with the number of spools normally carried. This was caused by the fact that the spools were normally 3/4 inch in thickness whereas the lures themselves were much greater in diameter, for example on the order of 2 inches to as much as 21/2 inches. Under the circumstances, the lures could not be held in side by side juxtaposition in vertical registry below their respective associated spool.